Silent Pain
by wizwitch42
Summary: There was no limit to how far Descole would go to unlock the Azran Legacy before Targent...Not even one Luke Triton was safe from his obsession. (AU starting in Last Specter)
1. Prologue

**A/N: *slowly rises from behind desk* Uh...hi there! *ducks anything you guys try to through at me***

 **Stephanie: Well, it's been a while since you updated.**

 ***slowly rising again* Not my fault. Anyway, I don't own the Professor Layton series.**

* * *

 _ **"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."**_

 _ **~Frederick Douglass**_

* * *

The boy felt the corners of his lips twitch as the door lock clicked open. The masked man keeping him would be gone to search for clues of the Gardens, and the other man was nice to him-maybe even nice enough to ignore his escape.

Only one way to find out...

Bracing his broken hand against his chest, the boy slowly reached for the door handle.

 _'Here goes nothing,'_ he thought to himself while pushing the door open. After checking that the hallway was clear, the boy opened the door the rest of the way and exited the room he had been imprisoned in for...he didn't even know how long.

Too long-that he knew was certain. But if he could avoid the butler, he would-

 _CREEK!_

At the sound of the floor, the boy accidentally put too much weight on his left ankle-one his captor had broken the first night and never let heal right-and nearly collapsed.

Bloody Hell.

How could he have forgotten about those? The floor always creaked, and his ankle made it nearly impossible to move quickly.

Despite these obstacles, the boy took in a deep breath and started creeping across the hallway floor.

Freedom...

* * *

When the boy walked out of the building, he remembered something his captor always told him.

 _"If your parents really wanted you back, they'd be quite a bit more cooperative."_

His captor had been interacting with his parents. If he went back home, he would be caught again.

 _'Where else can I go?'_ he thought to himself as he sat on the edge of one of the town's many canals. _'Obviously I can't go back where I was...Maybe...no...She hasn't talked to me in over a year...but do I have any other options?'_

"What are you doing out here?"

The boy gasped and turned at the female voice to see a woman in a yellow jacket running up to him while a man in a top hat followed.

"Do you know anything about the specter?"

The boy attempted to get up, but he put too much weight on his bad ankle.

"Be careful!" the woman called as she gripped the boy's upper arm to keep him balanced. "Are you alright?"

The boy opened his mouth to answer, but immediately shut it again. Was he really alright? In what context was she meaning? As in was he alright from just having nearly fallen into the canal, or just in general?

Deciding the former was most likely, the boy gave a small nod and pulled away from the woman.

"I didn't mean to startle you, kid," the woman said as the man came up to them. "We're trying to investigate the specter that's been attacking the town. Do you know anything about it?"

The specter? What specter? Like...like the one from the legend? Why would it be attacking?

The boy backed away from the adults as his breathing quickened. The specter was meant to protect Misthallery. Why would it attack?

Did someone do something to anger it?

Suddenly the boy felt a light pressure on his wrists and he opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) to see the man kneeling in front of him with a firm but gentle grip on his wrists.

"Luke, please calm down. My name is Professor Layton; I'm a friend of your parents."

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 **A/N: So, what did you guys think? More reviews will cause for a quicker update!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, y'all! Glad you guys liked the prologue. This is one of my favorite projects I'm working on, and the fact that people like it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**

 **Stephanie: ...Right...I just can't believe you're so proud of the title when it doesn't make any sense until chapter three...**

 **Eh. Anyway, this scene was a bit of fun. Someone on tumblr pointed out that Layton asked who Emmy was, and then the next scene was her in the car with her scooter on top while he drove...and she was introducing herself. Yep, she managed to talk him into driving with her in the car and her scooter on top before even introducing herself.**

 **Stephanie: ...You get amused by the weirdest things. We don't own anything-thank goodness for Luke.**

 **~§¤§~**

" **A whole stack of memories never equal one little hope."**

 **~Charles M. Schulz**

 **~§¤§~**

Emmy knew she never made the greatest of decisions.

Driving her scooter in front of an oncoming car to make the driver stop? Yeah, that was definitely in the top ten list of her stupidest ideas-Desperate times, though, right?

"What is going on here?"

Emmy simply took off her helmet and smiled at the professor-the same man whom had helped her so long ago, and hopefully would help her again.

"It's great to see you again, Professor Layton."

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"You looked like you were in a hurry," she answered while strolling over to the back of the professor's car. "Why don't we talk on the way to wherever you're going?"

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I don't think that's the be-" Layton started before Emmy managed to pop open the boot of his car. "Excuse me, but what are you doing?"

"Well, we can't talk that well if I'm riding my scooter and you're driving your car, but there's no way I'm leaving my scooter here, so we need to find a way to tether the two." Emmy then slammed the boot shut before placing a finger on the side of her cheek in thought. "I don't suppose you have a tether in your cab, do you?"

"...What?" The professor attempted to grab Emmy's arm, though she moved away before he could. "Miss, what are you doing?"

"I realized that I may have something in my storage space we can use," she explained as she lifted up the seat on her scooter. "Yep, must have forgotten in all the excitement. Can help me get my scooter to the top of your car?"

"Do you mind if I ask who you are before doing such a thing?"

Emmy smiled up at the professor. "I promise that I'll answer any questions once we get going. Besides, don't you enjoy a little mystery now and then?"

Professor Layton pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh as Emmy pulled out a length of rope. "I take it you won't accept 'no' as an answer?"

"Of course not."

This was going to be a long day...

 **~§¤§~**

"I still can't believe you weren't told. I'm Emmy Altava, your new assistant."

"My...what?"

Emmy let out a small laugh. "Assistant-Dean Delmona hired me since you've missed more department meetings than you've gone to. He's worried that you're working yourself too hard."

Layton let out a small sigh at the reasoning. Of course-Dean Delmona had mentioned before that he could perhaps use a bit more help with his work. That must have slipped his mind with the letter from Brenda.

"I'm sorry, Miss Altava. I do believe that Dean Delmona has mentioned this to me before. Unfortunately, this little expedition I'm going on right now is beyond what you were expecting."

"I'm always up for a little adventure, Professor. Oh, and please, call me Emmy-there's no need to be so formal."

"Okay, then, Emmy." Layton took one hand off the steering wheel and reached into his pocket. "Let me give you some of the details at least: Back in college, I was friends with a man named Clark Triton, who moved to a country village called Misthallery with his wife, Brenda, and their son, Luke. We haven't kept in touch as much as we all wish, but today I received a letter from Brenda." At this point, Layton had pulled out the letter he had read earlier, and was holding it out to Emmy. "Tell me, what do you make of it?"

Emmy accepted the letter and unfolded the paper to read through the writing.

 _Dear Hershel,_

 _My, it's been a while, hasn't it? Misthallery is such a beautiful town, and perhaps you could come visit. I know this is short notice, but in sincerely hope that you can make your way out here. Clark won't admit it, but he does miss you dearly, and our son, Luke, hasn't seen you since before he could talk. Truly, I hope you can visit us soon._

 _Your friend,_

 _Brenda Minella-Triton_

"Very interesting writing style," Emmy remarked as she examined the envelope-simply the address of Layton's office at Gressenheller and the return address on one side, with a broken, light purple seal on the other. "Especially with the color switching..."

"What I find most peculiar is the second message within the letter," Layton answered without taking his eyes off the road. "What do you think?"

"'Second message'?" Emmy questioned with a closer look at the letter. "Oh!"

 **Puzzle 001: The Hidden Message (worth 15 picarats)**

 _Below is a letter Professor Layton received from an old friend, though something seems off about it. Upon closer inspection, one can read a second message hidden within the first-can you help Emmy find it?_ **[1]**

Dear Hershel,

 _M_ y, it's b _ee_ n a while, hasn' _t_ it? _M_ isthall _e_ ry is such _a_ beau _t_ iful _t_ own, and per _h_ aps you could com _e_ visit. I know this is short noti _ce_ , but I si _n_ cerely hope _t_ hat you can make your way out h _er_ e. _C_ lark w _o_ n't admit it, but he does _m_ iss you d _e_ arl _y_ , and _our_ son, Luke, h _a_ sn't seen you since befo _r_ e he could talk. T _r_ uly, _I_ hope you can _v_ isit us soon.

Your friend,

Brend _a_ Mine _l_ la-Triton

 _Great job! What could this message mean, though?_

 **~§¤§~**

"'Meet me at the center come your arrival'...Well that's different...Why do you suppose she hid it like that, through?"

"That, I cannot say. However, I can't help but be concerned over the fact she felt the need to hide it so." Layton turned onto a road that lead outside of the city and spared a quick glance over at Emmy. "Do you think you're up for this mystery, Emmy?"

"Of course, Professor! You can count on me."

If only she knew what she was volunteering for...

 **~§¤§~**

 **[1] It's mentioned that Brenda wrote some parts in purple, but I don't have that privilege...so pretend the letters in italics are purple**

 **A/N: I spent WAAAAAAAY too long on that puzzle, so don't expect them in future chapters ^^' Anyhoo, Luke wasn't exactly able to write the letter in this AU, so I had Brenda doing it. "Minella" is meant to be her maiden name, which she namely added so she could have the message in there. If you can guess where I got it from, you win a preview of the next chapter.**

 **Stephanie: Uh huh...And here are responses to our anonymous reveiwers. Aw, you guys are nicer than the ones from FNaM**

 **Guest: I have a habit of writing short prologues. ^.^' Glad you like the AU already. And, yeah, Descole was a bit of a manipulator at times...Anything to discourage any escaping. Of course-as far as Descole was concerned-that wasn't a complete lie. Of course, more of this will make sense later. And it probably wasn't your imagination if you saw this on Ao3-I posted this on there at one point because I was super excited to put it up.**

 **Pain silent: ...Isn't Descole the villain of the prequels, though? Yeah, they tried to justify it in the last game, but...**


	3. Hiatus Notice

**You guys know the phrase 'actions speak louder than words'? Well, here's an example of where it works: when you continually tell your child that you're proud of one of their hobbies, they're not gonna believe it if you continually do things that discourage it.**

… **Anyway, my dad has this weird thing of continually telling me how 'proud' he is of my writing, but he refuses to let me be able to share it most of the time. When I say that, I mean that he has this weird idea that I use the internet too much. One of the ways I use it is I'll post my stories online, as you obviously know if you're here.**

 **Stephanie: Get to the point.**

 **He turned off the Wi-Fi. And I don't mean 'he turned off the router', I mean that he freaking set it up so that the router won't be recognized by my devices. Now, I could ask him to turn it back on…but he hates me, and it'll turn off again within a day. Plus, he refuses to stop insisting that it's 'burning out' because it's used too much, which I believe as much as I believed it was broken when he changed the password.**

 **Of course, there's always the fact my cell phone can turn into a mobile hotspot (which is how I'm posting this), but I have limited data every month…obviously. And because I have to get good grades if I want a** _ **chance**_ **at getting the Wi-Fi back, I'm wanting to save it for schoolwork.**

 **Stephanie: So, as a result, we're going on hiatus. Again. After less than a month. *glares at me***

 **It's not my fault. Anyway, I'm not sure how long this is gonna last, but I will be writing during this little…setback.**

 **I'm so sorry about this, guys. I promise I'll start posting again as soon as I'm able.**


	4. Chapter 2

**A/N: *groan* I hate this chapter, it's late, the next chapter isn't ready, and school's becoming more stressful than before, so writing has to slow down quite a bit.**

 **Stephanie: …You're also a year away from being an adult!**

 ***headdesk* I don't own any of this.**

* * *

 **~§¤§~**

 **"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." - Albus Dumbledore ( _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ by J.K. Rowling)**

 **~§¤§~**

* * *

Emmy and the professor spent the rest of the car ride in relative silence, which was perfectly fine with her-made her feel less rude about taking pictures of the countryside as they drove past. It had been a while since she had gone to London (and even longer since she had been on a mission, though she'd rather not think about that), and in those years, she had all but forgotten how much she enjoyed the countryside. Fortunately, Professor Layton wasn't opposed to her keeping the window open, so she took advantage of the fresh air and allowed her lungs to open up in a way they hadn't for quite a while.

Of course, the car ride couldn't last forever. Eventually, they pulled up to Misthallery and Layton turned off the car (which Emmy learned was called the Laytonmobile). Once the two got out, Emmy stared at the town and put her hands on her hips.

"Quite foggy here, isn't it, Professor?"

"Yes, that is one thing Clark and Brenda have mentioned to me in their letters. The town has many canals for getting around, which most likely helps produce so much mist."

 _'Definitely is where the town got its name...'_ Emmy thought to herself as she snapped a couple pictures. "Well, there's no sense waiting to meet with your friend! Do you know what she meant by 'meet me in the center'?"

"I believe it is safe to assume she meant the town center, though how she'll know when we've arrived, I am unsure."

"Only one way to find out! C'mon, Professor!"

"Emmy! Wait up!"

The professor let out a small breath at his assistant's enthusiasm and jogged after her into the town after the woman.

A very long day, indeed...

* * *

 **~§¤§~**

* * *

"Oh, Hershel! I'm so glad to see you," Brenda said when she saw Layton and Emmy approach the crossroads. "I trust you got my letter?"

Layton nodded and raised an eyebrow when he saw how Brenda was wringing her hands together. "Is everything all right, Brenda?"

"O-Of course, Hershel. Everything's...fine..." Brenda wiped at her eye before starting to tug at her hair. "Oh, where are my manners?" She turned to Emmy with a smile and extended a hand out before adding, "I'm Brenda Triton-one of Hershel's friend's from college."

"Emmy Altava, Professor Layton's number one assistant," Emmy answered, earning a small laugh from Brenda, as she accepted the handshake. "Is everything all right, Ms. Triton? You seem a little..."

Brenda let out a sigh and wrapped her arms around her midsection. "It's Clark. Well, it's several things, but I feel like Clark is almost making them worse-especially since he refuses to ask for any help outside of Misthallery..."

Layton put a hand on Brenda's shoulder as she wiped at her eyes again. "Brenda, we are completely willing to help you, but you have to tell us what's going on before we can do anything. Can you tell us what's going on?"

"Of course, Hershel." Brenda took in a deep breath to calm her nerves and looked down at the ground before explaining, "Misthallery has a legend of a specter meant to protect the town in times of danger. For nearly a year, however, the specter has been...attacking the town instead of protecting it. Clark claims he's doing all he can, but..." Brenda shook her head and looked at the professor. "I thought outside help would be necessary, and you were the best person I could think of to help."

"Don't worry, Brenda-we'll get to the bottom of this," Layton assured with a tip of his hat. "After all, that's what a gentleman does."

"Thank you, Hershel-I can't even _begin_ to tell you how much this means to me!" Brenda exclaimed as she wiped at her eyes before wrapping her arms around the professor in a hug.

"Do you mind if I ask about Luke?" Emmy asked as she jotted a few things down in a notebook. "You mentioned him in your letter, and I was just curious if we would get a chance to see him..."

Brenda let out a sigh as she tugged at her hair. "Unfortunately, he's away with some of my relatives for his safety. Major reason Clark and I are still here is because he needs to oversee everything going on here."

Layton pressed his lips together and nodded. "Most unfortunate. Hopefully we shall be able to meet with him in the future."

Brenda nodded before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a sheet of paper. "I'm gonna have to get back home soon, but this is a list of the places that have been attacked by the specter, along with tonight's location and a message from me that will give to access to any evacuated zones of the town if you wanna get a close look at the specter, though I _must_ request that you be careful if you get close to it."

Layton accepted the paper with a nod and put it in his pocket as Emmy raised an eyebrow. "You've certainly put quite a bit of effort into this," she commented as she crossed her arms.

"...you'd be amazed what people will do in certain circumstances."

* * *

 **~§¤§~**

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 **A/N: Did I mention I hated this chapter? That entire scene with Brenda just…*loud agonized groan* I promise the next chapter will be much better.**

 **Stephanie: *throws confetti on me* Reviews are great birthday presents!**


	5. Chapter 3

**A/N: Look, chapter three's up! But first, before you read this, do me a favor and take a look over at Soul Rider's stuff. She helped write this chapter, namely by writing from—I'll tell you what she wrote at the bottom so I don't spoil anything.**

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 **~§¤§~**

" **Learning to trust is one of life's most difficult tasks." ~ Isaac Watts**

 **~§¤§~**

* * *

"There doesn't seem to be much correlation between the attacked locations," Emmy commented as she read over the list in her hands. "What do you think, Professor?"

"Unfortunately, due to the rapid clean up this town has, we haven't been able to see what parts of each location were targeted," Layton commented with a hand on his chin. "Perhaps some of the townsfolk will know a thing or two about where the specter's been attacking…"

"Oh, there's someone over there!" Emmy exclaimed before running off towards someone sitting on the edge of a canal, though as she got closer, she realized it was a young child. "What are you doing out here? Do you know anything about the specter?"

"Emmy, wait!" Layton called out once he recognized the boy. "Tha—"

"Be careful!" Emmy quickly gripped the boy's arm and helped him regain his balance on the edge of the canal. "Are you all right?"

The boy opened his mouth to answer, but then quickly shut it again. Emmy nearly repeated her question, but then he pulled away from her with a nod right as Professor Layton came up.

"I didn't mean to startle you, kid," she explained as she took a step back. "We're trying to investigate the specter that's been attacking the town. Do you know anything about it?"

The boy's eyes widened at her question before he clenched them shut and pressed his hands against his temples.

"Oh my," Layton whispered as he knelt down in front of the boy. "Luke? Are you all right?"

"Professor? Do you know this boy?"

"More or less," Layton answered as he gripped the boy's wrists. "Luke, please calm down. My name is Professor Layton; I'm a friend of your parents."

Suddenly—Layton couldn't tell if it was shock or exhaustion (perhaps a mixture of both)—the boy collapsed and the professor quickly shifted his grip so the young boy wouldn't hit the ground.

"'Luke'?" Emmy echoed as she knelt down by the professor. "You mean…"

"This is Clark and Brenda's son," Layton answered as he adjusted his grip so that Luke was cradled against his chest.

* * *

 **~§¤§~**

* * *

"What? The brat escaped? How did this happen?!"

Both Raymond and Jakes flinched at the volume of Descole's outburst, though Raymond managed to recover first.

"My apologies, Master. I had gone to tune up the machines and was at the warehouse longer than I thought I would be."

"The brat couldn't have gone far, boss! W-we'll find him and make sure he knows what-" Jakes threatened before he was interrupted.

"No! We don't want to kill the hostage just yet!" Descole pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "He'll come running home sooner or later... I'll get him back then. The mayor and his wife don't even need to know..."

* * *

 **~§¤§~**

* * *

Luke felt himself lying against something warm and comforting. It felt like how his mom would hold him. Wait, someone _was_ holding him, but the arms were more firm, securing the boy against their body. He didn't know why, but he felt that he could trust this person holding him so close.

Hold on. When did he get in this person's arms? He didn't remember someone picking him up. The boy didn't even remember falling asleep. Or did he pass out from exhaustion?

The last thing Luke could recall was that woman in yellow and a man with a top hat saying he was friends with his father. The man said he was Hershel Layton. Luke knew that name well, from his father talking quite fondly of him and how they were great, young archaeologists.

Stealthily, Luke opened his eyes slowly as to not alert his carrier that he's awake. The first thing he noticed was an orange shirt and a brown jacket used as a blanket for him. Luke daringly looked up to see the person's face and was relieved when he saw the face of Hershel Layton. Despite his relief, not a sound came from him. So he just reached out a little and gave a weak tug on his shirt with his good hand. At that motion, Layton looked down at him, worry flashing in his eyes. Then, he gave the boy a warm welcoming smile.

"I am relieved to see that you're awake, my boy," the gentleman greeted in a soft and caring tone. "I was starting to fear the worst."

"And you looked in terribly bad shape," the woman from earlier commented from behind them.

"Emmy, the boy just woke up. I suggest keeping the tone down a little." Emmy smiled sheepishly.

"Right. Though it bothers me: how did he end up like this?"

"That is what I'm concerned about too. But there is no doubt that Luke isn't in any condition to speak after such trauma." Luke clutched the man's shirt, painfully remembering the torture his former captor had put him through. Layton could feel the child shiver against him in fear. What made him even more concerned was that the boy never even let out a whimper. "It appears it did more than make him unable to talk."

"He can't say anything? Not even a cry?"

"Now Emmy, let's not talk like he's not here. But yes, I afraid so." Luke tugged his shirt again, getting his attention. "Hmm?" the gentleman hummed in acknowledgement. From the look in his eyes, he could see what the boy was asking; 'Are my parents okay?' "Yes, Luke. They're both fine." Then, something clicked and confused him. Brenda had told him and Emmy that Luke was with relatives of hers for safety. But then, why was Luke still here and in such a condition? Did Brenda lie to them, and for what reason? Right now, he couldn't get the answers so he'll have to wait until he could speak with the boy's mother again.

As the two continued to look for at least a clinic for the boy to be treated, some of the few townspeople in the area would stare in shock at the battered boy. The professor could do little to protect the child from publicity other than hold him closer to hide the boy's face. The child was already scarred enough; he didn't want them any worse.

* * *

 **~§¤§~**

* * *

The professor and his assistant managed to find a small clinic near the edge of town. The doctor working there was alarmed by the boy's injuries and went straight to treating them. After waiting 30 minutes in the waiting room, the door opened and out came the boy and the doctor. Layton froze almost immediately when he saw the blank look in Luke's eyes.

"The boy's injuries were not so lethal as originally thought," the doctor explained. "Mostly bruising, along with his ankle and wrist. However, such trauma has caused a psychogenic dysphonia, a rather acute one."

"Psycho-what now?" Emmy questioned.

"Luke's experience has left him unable to speak," Layton said. "And what about this sudden... emotionless state?"

"That's the acute part. He turns off and on depending on the circumstances. Those circumstances are not at all pleasant, though." The doctor adjusted his glasses and cleared his

Layton let out a slow breath at the question. "We're unsure on that at the moment. Emmy and I both found the young boy like this in town."

"Hmm…" The doctor glanced at Luke, who was gripping Layton's jacket with one hand, before giving a curt nod. "Well, I shall leave him in your care then, Sir."

"Thank you." Layton put a hand on Luke's shoulder and looked over at Emmy. "Come on, we must get going—it's getting close to nightfall."

* * *

 **~§¤§~**

* * *

 **A/N: So we both had parts in the cut away scene to Descole and his group (I don't remember who wrote what, I just know I added names the other day), and Soul Rider did from the beginning of the scene after that all the way down to "Those circumstances are not at all pleasant, though," so go give her love.**

 **Anyway, now Layton and Emmy are united with Luke, and you guys know where the title came from! ^-^'**


	6. Chapter 4

**A/N: ...I have no excuse beyond I lost my notes with the plot points of _Last Specter_...that I am still recreating... ^^'**

* * *

 **~§¤§~**

* * *

Luke spared another glance at the man and woman with him as they walked down the streets of Misthallery. They were helping him, but at the same time…

He pressed closer to the professor when he saw one of the cops look right at him. Descole had talked with the police chief several times during his imprisonment, which meant the cops may have been hunting for him.

"Luke? Are you all right?"

Luke made no response to the professor's question but did manage to briefly flick his eyes upward. Hershel Layton—he had been a friend of his father's when they were younger. But…that was all he knew. His father simply refused to speak of his life before Misthallery, and Luke couldn't even recall why his father had brought up the professor in the first place.

"Professor, we still have yet to find anything here," Emmy commented while looking anywhere but at Luke. "There are no signs that it'll be attacking here—how sure are we on Brenda's prediction?"

"No one has been harmed in the attacks due to town evacuations, so Brenda must have learned of tonight's attack from whoever has been encouraging the evacuations. Perhaps after nightfall, we may start seeing more signs."

Emmy let out a huff and glanced down at Luke. Why were they bringing him along with them? "Shouldn't we bring Luke to his parents?" she whispered quiet enough for the boy to not hear, though he gave no indication he was even aware of the adults' conversation. "I don't think bringing him with will do much good."

Layton glanced down to confirm Luke's lack of attention towards their conversation and explained, "Brenda lied to us about where he was for a reason. Until I know what that reason is, I'm not comfortable with letting him out of our sight."

Emmy pursed her lips at the answer and gave a small nod. "All right. We'll focus on the specters, then we can work on that mystery…"

"My thoughts exactly." Layton looked down at the boy again, then looked around the town. "We may not be able to simply _find_ the specter, though, so we may need to find lodging for the night and wait…"

"That looks like a hotel over there," Emmy commented while pointing to a building at the end of the street. "Maybe that'll be the best place to stay."

"Good eye, Emmy." Layton gently put a hand on Luke's shoulder and helped to guide him towards the hotel Emmy pointed out while she walked beside them.

The entire walk, Luke remained unresponsive to his surroundings. Every so often, Layton would need to tighten his grip on the small boy's shoulder and guide him from any obstacles. When they finally approached the hotel, Layton couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief at the fact no one paid them much mind. Despite being almost entrapped in his mind, Luke probably wouldn't be able to handle too much probing from curious townsfolk.

"What are you lot doing here?" a man by the counter asked. "I thought this area was blocked off!"

 _'Then what are you doing here?'_ Emmy thought to herself as Layton stepped forward with Brenda's pardon in hand.

"We're here at the request of Brenda Triton. She wanted us to investigate the specter attacks." Layton handed the letter to the man and continued, "We were hoping we could stay in your hotel as a place to wait for the specter."

"Hm… Well, I can't say no to the mayor's wife… All right, I'll let ya stay the night. I'm not gonna be responsible if you get hurt by the specter, though!"

The professor let out a small chuckle at the condition before continuing the check-in process.

* * *

 **~§¤§~**

* * *

Professor Layton watched the young, mentally and physically damaged boy with worried eyes as the child stared out the hotel window. Since they had arrived from the small hospital, Luke seemed blank as a cleaned chalkboard.

"Professor, could this specter even be real?" Emmy asked, trying to distract Layton from some of his worries.

"We'll have to wait and see," the professor replied, pulling a seat next to the boy. It panged the professor on the inside, seeing the dullness in the child's eyes. "See anything, Luke?" The ten-year-old gave only the tiniest shake of the head. Hearing the sound of tea being served, Layton accepted the two cups from Emmy. He handed one to Luke, who simply nodded in acknowledgment and sipped the warm liquid. He saw his mouth move, as if mouthing a 'thank you'.

The sound of a flute rang through the town. Luke stood up from the chair.

"Is that… music?" Emmy asked. "Where's it coming from?"

"Emmy!" Layton called. Outside, a huge shadow with large claws approached. "Is that...?"

"The specter...!" Emmy quickly went to grab her camera. The professor looked down at the boy and his poor heart nearly stopped when he saw the child's look of fear. The shadow's red eyes stared down at them before it swiped at the building, breaking the lights. Luke fled to the other side of the room to the best of his condition.

"Let's go!" The professor headed to the door to follow the specter, but was stopped when Luke firmly grabbed his jacket and stared at him with desperation, as if begging him to not go outside. Just then, the group heard the flute again.

"Where is that coming from?" Emmy wondered. Seeing that there was no time, Layton knelt down to Luke's level.

"Luke, I understand that you're frightened. We need to investigate the specter, though—especially if we want to reunite you with your parents, since I doubt your capture and the specter's appearances are entirely unrelated. However, I'm going to need you to stay with myself and Emmy unless we tell you otherwise. Can you do that?"

Luke looked to the side for a moment in thought before finally looking back at Layton and nodding.

"All right. Let's go look for the specter, then."

Layton stood up and led Luke to the doorway Emmy was standing at before all three of them ran down the hotel stairs and through the lobby until they were outside. The strange flute music seemed to be echoing around them, but parts of it were drowned out by the sounds of destruction the specter caused as it went through Misthallery.

"This can't be real…" Emmy muttered at the sight of the creature destroying the surrounding buildings.

"But it is…"

Emmy shot off to run after the specter, but Layton made sure to stay with Luke as they made their own way after the creature. Soon enough, though… it disappeared, and shortly after, so did the flute music.

"How curious…" Layton muttered while looking around at the damage done to the town. "Where was that music coming from?"

Luke shrugged and clung closer to the Professor's jacket while they walked in the direction Emmy had gone. That was the specter Emmy must have been asking him about when she and the professor found him…

…Why did it seem almost…familiar to him?

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 **~§¤§~**

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 **A/N: ...I don't know when the next one will be up. I'm sorry.**


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